The Road Not Taken
by Pineapple2014
Summary: A continuation of the "What If" episode, focusing on Callie and Arizona's story.  Will fate help them find each other in an alternate world? Or will they always look back, lamenting the road not taken? Will be multiple chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! So, I have decided to continue on from where the "What If" episode left off, primarily focusing on Callie and Arizona's story (with little bits of other couple's developments weaved in). I intend on making this a multiple chapter story, however, I'm not really sure where it is going yet. This first chapter really just sets some foundation for the story to follow so I apologize for the lack of plot. Please let me know your thoughts and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Shonda Rhimes is a storytelling magician. All props to her.

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><p><em>Callie POV<em>

Callie's mind was reeling. For the life of her, she couldn't stop her mind from drifting back to her last interaction with Dr. Robbins. And every time she recalled said conversation, something within her stirred. What that something was, she wasn't exactly sure but it both scared and exhilarated her.

_Sometime_. That word, and the blond doctor associated with it, had been haunting her consciousness for the past week and Callie was still dumbfounded. Callie didn't do dumbfounded. It was a feeling unheard of by kickass cardio goddesses such as her. Yet, here she was, thinking herself into a migraine for the umpteenth time that week. Despite the many hours spent pondering, and many headaches acquired, the enigmatic woman and the effect she had on her left Callie at a loss. These (now daily) inklings overran Callie's brain as she power walked down the hall.

She may as well have been sleepwalking for all the awareness she currently possessed. A mobile, deep thinking Callie was something of an equivalent to a drunken bicyclist. Rolling along in a numb stupor, much too fast, and liable to crash into something- like a tree or mailbox. Or in this case, an opening door. There were two loud thuds. The first sounded as Callie slammed into the door, in full stride. The second as she hit the floor. The nurse that had opened the door saw who her victim was and immediately became a flurry of helping hands and apologies. Callie, who remained sprawled on the cool, unforgiving hospital floor, let out a strangled yet eloquent "_Urghh."_ After dozens of attempts, she finally managed to wave off the panicked woman, continuing to unabashedly hold her ground. Some small part of her brain was telling her that it was not professional or socially acceptable to lounge spread eagle in the middle of a busy corridor, however, the larger part of her brain was busy experiencing somewhat of an epiphany. Something about Dr. Robbins bamboozled her. Intrigued her. She wanted to find out why- and there was only one way to do that. She was going out for drinks with Dr. Robbins. Bam. How could it have been that easy? It was like that damn door had knocked some sense into her- oh, the irony.

But apparently, fate wasn't done with her yet for the day. As her epiphany came to a close and a small smile began to creep across her face, Callie heard something that made her stomach drop. "Whatcha doin down there?" _Oh God_. There was only one person that that breezy, cheerful tone could belong to. She'd bet good money that the owner also possessed long blonde hair, blue eyes, and dimples. As if on cue, said bright blue eyes appeared above her, shining with curiosity.

"Uhhh… the door… it opened… wasn't looking…" Callie cringed at her foolish response and resorted to simply pointing at her now bruising forehead.

"Oh! Well let's get you up off that dirty floor so I can take a look at you," Arizona chirped. She lent a dazzling smile and a hand to help Callie up and into the nearest exam room. Despite Callie's objections, she had her sit on the table as she poked and prodded the tender flesh. While her fingers grazed Callie's skin, she felt no pain. Only a slight tingle, which seemed odd. Maybe she was still dazed. "Well, it looks like you'll be fine. Just a bruise," she offered cheerfully. "Make sure to put ice on that and take Tylenol for pain as needed, every six hours- you know the drill." She threw in a wink for good measure and turned to go, but finally, Callie's brain kicked in.

"Dr. Robbins, wait!" Arizona quickly spun back around, a smile still painted on her honest face. "About those drinks… I was thinking sometime could be tonight? If you're free and you're still up for it that is."

Arizona looked truly elated at this proposition, her reply exuding the same. "Of course I'm up for it! Tonight is perfect," she countered. She was bopping out the door in her perky fashion when she stopped to poke her head back in once more. "By the way, you can call me Arizona." And then she was gone. _Arizona_, Callie repeated to herself. She didn't know why, but saying it just felt right.

_Arizona POV _

As excited as Arizona was, she knew she had to keep things in perspective. In order to do this, she of course needed alcohol. And so, with a Herculean effort, she kicked it into hyper speed and finished her final post-ops of the day in record time, leaving her a solid half hour to mentally prepare herself for her impending date with Callie- sorry, impending arrangement with Callie. It was not the first time she had made that correction throughout the day, and each time she mentally kicked herself and muttered a _"Bad Arizona, bad!"_

So there she sat, throwing back a vodka and cranberry, mulling over her current predicament. In about 30 minutes, give or take, Callie Torres would be sitting next to her, talking about her life, job, kids, and God knows whatever else. In about 30 minutes, she would be face to face with the woman that she had admired from afar for so long. And to be honest, she was nervous as hell. Nervous about what to say, how to say it, what she'd think. But mostly, how she'd refrain from losing herself in the beauty that was Calliope Torres. That in itself was the biggest predicament of all. Callie was straight. And married. And had three adorable children! She was the epitome of unavailable, and Arizona knew this fact too well. Despite the apparent magnetism she felt towards her, Arizona had no choice but to get over her little crush.

She heard the door to Joe's open and turned to scope out the newest patron. As her eyes fell upon the subject of her thoughts, she knew that overcoming her predicament would be much easier said than done.

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><p>I know, I know. Not much "story" so far. But I PROMISE it will get more interesting. Let me know what you think. Thanks!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Hello all! Thanks for choosing to continue on this journey with me. I hope I have been doing you all justice with the two characters. Here is the second chapter and, as promised, it has a little more substance than the last one. Let me know your thoughts. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Props to Shonda Rhimes.

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><p>After the initial loss of breath at Callie's appearance, Arizona shot her a dazzling smile and waved her over to where she currently resided at the bar. Callie sauntered over and, as she did, Arizona wagered that no one had ever made such a mundane action look as captivating as Callie did. Arizona internally scolded herself and, in an act of mercy, allowed one final, fleeting up-down of the fascinating woman approaching her. Satisfied with the scenery, a smug grin played at the corners of Arizona's mouth as she greeted Callie. "Hello, Calliope! It is wonderful to see you."<p>

Callie's smile returned similar sentiments as she greeted Arizona in turn. They fell into an easy, flowing banter as they chatted about what any typical surgeon would- any and all interesting cases they'd had, the recent hospital gossip, noteworthy surgeries as of late- the usual. It wasn't until the topic shifted towards their personal lives that things became overwrought.

Eager to learn anything and everything about Callie, Arizona jumped right in. "So how did you and Owen meet?" At the mention of his name, Arizona could see how Callie tensed up. It was very subtle- a slight tightening of fists, a shortness of breath, a miniscule twitch at the corner of her mouth. She hid it well, but Arizona saw it all. She didn't know what to make of it just yet but she planned on finding out.

After a moment, Callie responded, rather reluctantly. "College. We met in an anatomy class at college. We were lab partners. What a cliché, right?" she said with a smile that never reached her typically lively eyes. Arizona returned it, making note of its strained nature, and urged her to continue. Callie took a deep breath and recounted her "fairytale" story. "We kind of hit it off right away. It seemed like, in a blink of an eye, we went from being acquaintances to being exclusive. He was a catch- handsome, driven, smart. I felt really lucky to have found him and never really questioned it. And you could say I have a history of jumping into things. Anyways, before I knew it, he was down on one knee, telling me he was heading off to Iraq and wanted me to marry him. And so I said yes. I closed my eyes and jumped." As Arizona listened to Callie narrate this seemingly enchanted story, all she could focus on was her eyes. With every word spoken, she could see those beautiful orbs transforming. Bit by bit, they seemed to empty themselves of the vivacious spirit that had intoxicated Arizona for so long. "And then he came back," Callie finished, almost inaudibly so. At that statement, her eyes told stories unspoken. Fear and uncertainty took residence in Callie's eyes and the sight broke Arizona's heart. She had planned to find out the reason for her discomfort- and find out she had.

"PTSD," Arizona whispered in response. As she said this, stories of her own flooded her consciousness. Both women sat there in silence for a few minutes, lost in thought. Arizona was the first to speak, not wanting to fall into the slippery slope that was her painful memories. "My father is a Colonel in the United States Marine Corp. He also suffers from PTSD," she said in a careful yet clear tone. "And if there is one thing that I know, it is that he wasn't the only one that suffered. PTSD affects any and everyone who comes in contact with it." She paused, allowing the words to sink in. Arizona ducked her head, urging Callie, who'd been staring intensely at her napkin, to look at her. As their eyes met and Arizona saw the all too familiar mix of emotions playing across Callie's face, she spoke the words that she wished someone had said to her. "I know." That was all. At those two words, Callie let out a deep breath. One that she had been unknowingly holding for years. She sent Arizona a thankful, relieved smile. And this time, it reached her eyes.

At this moment, Arizona came to the conclusion that she needed this woman in her life- she didn't know why, and she didn't care. At this moment, Arizona vowed to be whatever and whoever Callie needed her to be.

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><p><em>Callie POV <em>

Over the past few weeks, the two began to spend more and more time together. Eating together in the cafeteria, meeting up a Joe's after shifts, coffee dates- sorry, coffee arrangements. Callie and Arizona became fast friends and the more time they spent together, the more curious Callie became. Curious about the rush of excitement she felt when she caught a glimpse of the blond doctor wheeling down the hall. Curious about the inordinate amount of time she spent trying to discern the exact shade of Arizona's eyes (were the midnight blue or more of a sapphire?) Curious about how she felt like a million bucks when Arizona's gaze fell upon her.

Callie mulled these things over for what felt like gazillionth time as she drove home from Arizona's. Arizona had offered to make her dinner- little did she know that Arizona's notion of "making dinner" involved picking up a phone and dialing a few numbers. Callie had laughed herself to the verge of tears at Arizona's sneaky charade, followed by her attempt at treating the delivery as a magic trick. Unfortunately, the delivery boy did not catch on as quickly as Arizona had wanted him to and she ended up throwing a twenty his way, slamming the door, and finishing with an overly dramatic "Ta-dah!" Callie strode up the walkway to her charming house, chuckling softly at the recollection.

Callie opened the door and as the scene before her unfolded, the smile dropped from her face, replaced by a look of terror. She slowly, quietly made her way across the room. The house was a wreck. It looked like a torn up battlefield… _Oh, no. Owen._

As she came to this realization, something struck her, hard, on the right side of her face. Blindsided and seeing stars, Callie lost all sense of balance and fell to the ground. After what seemed like an eternity, she had recovered vision and looked up into the face of her attacker. Owen. He looked down at her, a hard look on his face, offending bludgeon in hand. As he stared into the eyes of his helpless wife, something in him shifted and he snapped out of his episode. As if a light had been turned on, Owen crumbled. The emotionless, hard man that had towered over her was reduced to nothing but tears, apologies, and empty promises.

It was the feeling of something trickling down the right side of Callie's face that brought her back to reality. She lifted her shaky hand to the source, effectively staining her fingers red with blood and propelling her into action. She stood, gathered herself and motioned for Owen to halt his tear-filled proclamations. He looked up at her with hope in his eyes as she said what should have been said long ago. "Pack your bags. I want you out of here by tonight." With that, Callie walked out the door, not bothering to look back at the mess that was her life.

As she got in her car, she only had one place in mind. Arizona. She needed to see Arizona. It was a miracle that she made it there as the tears that were now streaming down her face proved to greatly hinder her vision. But there she was, parked in front of Arizona's apartment building, attempting to return to some semblance of composure. She wiped away the tear streaks and dried blood as best she could, and made her way up to the place that, just hours ago, she'd associated with smiles and laughter and magic tricks. With a deep breath, Callie raised her fist to knock. She paused for a moment, as if to reconsider but then scoffed at herself, and rapped on the door. There was nowhere else that she wanted to go.

A sleepy-eyed and confused Arizona answered the door. However, as she took in the desolate sight before her, survival skills kicked in. She saw the tearstains and, even more concerning, bloodstains blemishing her beautiful face. She saw her desperately holding herself together, trying to hide her obvious misery. "Oh, Callie," Arizona whispered, opening her arms to her. As Callie became enveloped in Arizona's strong, safe arms, she unloaded. All the feelings that had been churning within her hit a pinnacle and Arizona held her close as she rode out the storm.

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><p>So what'd you think? Too dramatic? Not dramatic enough? I want to be very careful with how I resolve this CallieOwen predicament. I don't want to paint either of them as a "bad" person so I'm trying to go about it as carefully as I can. Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, all! First off, some of you brought up the issue of Callie's children and her apparent lack of regard for them in the previous chapter. I apologize **profusely** for not clearing that up before the end of the chapter. I realize how confusing and out of character that may have seemed. However, I hope that I made up for it in this most recent installment. Also, I know, I know, it sucks that Owen hit Callie. But PTSD is a very real ailment that affects everyone involved- sometimes physically. But believe me when I say I do not want to make Owen into the "bad guy." Don't give up on me just yet :)

Disclaimer: Thank you, Shonda Rhimes, for curing my writer's block.

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><p>Arizona guided a sobbing Callie over to the couch, setting her down as if she were a fragile piece of china. She relinquished her hold, aiming to retrieve Callie a glass of water. However, as soon as she made to stand up, the teary-eyed woman pulled her back down. Arizona gladly resumed her position, wrapping her arms around Callie as if she was shielding her from any and every evil that the world had to offer. After a solid fifteen minutes, Callie's mighty sobs had dissolved into desperate, heartbreaking whimpers with the occasional sniff. Eventually, Callie gathered enough strength and poise to raise her head from its previous position in the crook of Arizona's neck. Callie looked into Arizona's clear, honest eyes, searching. At first, she wasn't exactly sure what she was searching for, but whatever she saw in Arizona was exactly what she needed. Understanding, compassion, concern. She could've sworn that she'd seen even a tinge of anger. But most of all, Callie saw the warmth they she had always pursued yet never attained. In this diverse combination of emotions, Callie received her affirmation- this is where she needed to be.<p>

Arizona was the first to break the eye contact, choosing instead to slowly lift a hand to the small, bruising cut on Callie's cheekbone. She gently ghosted her soft fingers over the offending wound, a look of unmistakable sorrow overtaking her face. "He was back in Iraq, wasn't he?" Arizona whispered, although she already the answer. Callie merely nodded her head, unable to verbalize anything just yet. "The kids?" she probed, hoping to everything holy that they hadn't been anywhere near Owen during the episode. She knew firsthand how traumatizing it could be to a child. She herself still couldn't look at her father the same way.

"At Owen's mothers for the weekend. _Thank God_." Thank God. "I had half a mind to go straight there so that I could confirm that they were really safe and sound. To hold them and never let go. But I didn't want to scare them. Not yet. I don't know if I would have been able to hold it together in front of them." Callie was quiet for a few moments, like she was working through some difficult math problem. Arizona waited patiently, allowing Callie to think without pressure. "Am I a bad mother?" Callie asked. Arizona looked confused at the seemingly outlandish question. "For coming here first, rather than going to my children. Am I a bad mother?"

Arizona took a deep breath, contemplating how exactly to answer this question. Looking deeply into Callie's eyes, she shook her head. "Calliope, no. No, you are not a bad mother. In fact, I think you are a wonderful and sensible mother. Think about it- if you had rushed to your kids with tears streaming down your face, all bruised and bloody, you would have scared the crap out of them. You would have hurt them more than you would've helped them. The picture of their broken mother is something that would haunt them forever. Trust me," she added, a knowing, mirthless smile playing at her lips. "Instead, you saved them from a frightening memory. You chose to scare the crap outta me rather than your kids, which is totally okay," she said with a wink.

Callie exhaled and closed her eyes, willing herself to believe Arizona. Sure she saw the logic in her decision. She came to Arizona's with the knowledge that her kids were safe and sound at their beloved Grandma's, but she couldn't help but feel a little ashamed that she hadn't rushed to be with her children. "I need to call Lori, tell her what happened, make sure the kids are okay."

"Do you need some privacy?" Arizona asked, wanting to do anything she could to help the woman before her.

"No," Callie replied quickly. "No. Just sit here with me." Arizona simply nodded, holding one of Callie's shaking hands between both of hers. She sat quietly, rubbing small circles onto Callie's soft palm as she talked with Lori. Arizona wasn't exactly sure how long the conversation lasted. Over the past few weeks, she had oftentimes found herself losing track of time whilst looking at Callie, much like now.

When Callie finally ended the call, she looked much stronger. There was still a distinctive look of panic in her eyes, but her exterior seemed much more composed. "So?" Arizona inquired. She had missed a majority of the conversation as the curvature of Callie's lips had proved to be quite the distraction. She did a quick, _"Bad Arizona!"_ and hoped that Callie hadn't noticed.

"The kids are fine, sleeping soundly in their beds. She said she'd keep them as long as needed. I can't take them back home until Owen is out of the house, so until then, I guess they'll be on an extended vacation at Grandma's. They'll love it," she said with a humorless laugh. "God, I've still got to talk to Owen," she said in a moment of painful realization. At this instant, it all came crashing down upon her again. Only now did she realize how messed up this situation had become. And how mind-numbingly exhausted she was. Upon seeing this, Arizona arose from the couch, pulling Callie up with her. Callie had no choice but to comply, fatigue rendering her powerless to Arizona's commands. She obediently followed, practically sleepwalking into what she assumed to be Arizona's bedroom. Without a word, Arizona folded down the covers and motioned for Callie to climb in, reassuring her with a dimpled smile. How could she say no to those dimples? She obeyed and was promptly tucked in by the amazing woman before her. Callie reveled in the feeling of Arizona's hands on her and, when she had finished, felt somewhat dismayed at the loss of contact. Arizona lightly ran her fingers over the bruise once more, the same look of grief painting her beautiful features. After a moment's consideration, she leaned forward and gently touched her lips to the spot. Callie felt the stinging, soreness disappear. It was as if Arizona's lips had absorbed it, and instead, replaced the pain with a tingling sensation. But before she knew it, Arizona was striding back across the room and turning the light off. "Goodnight, Calliope," she said softly.

Callie replied without thinking. "Will you come lay with me? I don't want to be alone." Her voice sounded so small, so vulnerable. How could Arizona say no? Arizona's predicament was turning out to be quite the challenge. But she had made a vow. She had promised to be whatever Callie had needed her to be. And so, without another word, she walked over to the bed and climbed in, prepared to be a good man in the storm, no matter how much it hurt.

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><p>So what'd you think? Did I make up for it? Callie is in quite a pickle and I want to go about it very carefully so as not to paint anyone involved as out of character, or "bad" in some way. Callie and Owen are both victims of circumstance, and I think it is important that it is told as such. I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, as I wrote it up basically to quell all the concerns. But I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know!<p> 


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